Wright AVID FLYER MARK IV N583AF

Summary

On 23 October 1999 at about 14:59 local time, a Wright AVID FLYER MARK IV registered N583AF was involved in an accident near Seabrook, Texas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 October 1999 at 14:59

Classification

Accident

Location

Seabrook, Texas, United States

Coordinates

29.5590, -95.0204

Aircraft

Wright AVID FLYER MARK IV

Registration

N583AF

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hitchcock → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW00LA017

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during a downwind landing. Factors were his improper weather evaluation, the prevailing tailwind, and the engine vibration.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 900-hour pilot lost control of the airplane while landing downwind on a dirt road with a 15 knot tailwind. The pilot reported that the engine developed a vibration accompanied by a rise in cylinder head temperature. The pilot elected to perform a precautionary landing on a westerly heading on a nearby dirt road to investigate the source of the engine problem. The pilot was expecting a crosswind landing; however, the wind speed and direction were different than anticipated and he ended up landing the airplane with a tailwind. The pilot applied the brakes immediately after touchdown to avoid colliding with a steel gate. Subsequently, the airplane drifted to the left and exited the roadway. The nose landing gear assembly collapsed, and the airplane nosed over and came to rest in the inverted position.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.